Though Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was barrister and the Deputy Prime Minister of India, he carried the image of a Gamathi or Desi (Rural Indian) who would not have vision of international relations. This image must have been created by his own colleagues in the freedom struggle. To some extent even Mahatma Gandhi was also responsible for creating this impression though he knew that the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru depended so much on Patel. One who follows the writings of the Sardar and his views on the international relations would come to a definite conclusion that though Nehru had a global vision who cared for the international image, whenever ignored the advice of Patel on global affairs, not only he himself but entire country had to suffer.
For Sardar Patel, Nehru was always “My Leader”. Of course, both differed on many issues, but they functioned as a team in the interest of the country and ego would not come in the way to checkmate any unlike the impression being created these days. Historian P.N. Chopra notes in “Sardar Patel: Economic Policy and Foreign Affairs” : “Patel had told Nehru that he had pointed out that even some of the Muslim countries had recognized Israel but “we had not, out of deference for the views of our Muslim brethren”. Patel wanted the Indian relations be developed beyond UK and USA and he had strongly recommended the free India to be part of the Commonwealth maintaining self-respect. Both the Indian leaders differed on their perspective on China and Tibet affairs where Patel forewarned Nehru. Patel proved to be right. He wanted Pakistan to be developed but threatened not to meddle in Indian affairs. Even on dealing with the Portuguese to take over Goa, Nehru had to follow Patel eleven years after his death! India took nearly more than four decades to establish diplomatic relations with Israel by Prime Minister P. V. Narsimha Rao.
Even when PM Nehru wanted India to sever all the ties with the Commonwealth, the Sardar was keen to have a strong association with Commonwealth with the caution that India’s status as Sovereign Republic must not be affected. “I feel that by recognition of King as Head of Commonwealth as a symbol of free association of its members, we do not derogate from that status. Headship of Commonwealth with this restriction does not involve any allegiance to Kingship.” Somehow or the other, Sardar Patel thought that Pakistan would not be a viable country due to its economic difficulties which would be almost insurmountable and sooner or later it would again join India in some form or the other. On 11 July 1947, he wrote to G. S. Bozman, former Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, he mentioned that “we nurse the hope that one day Pakistan will come back.” “He declared in a public meeting on 12 August 1947 that though they agreed to partition due to the then prevailing circumstances and he had no qualms about it but he strongly felt that who had seceded today would be disillusioned soon and their union with the rest of India was assured,” records P. N. Chopra.
Patel always hoped that India and Pakistan would live as friends and brothers. But unfortunately, the Pakistan Government created trouble in Junagadh and Kashmir and had no courage to disown the elements who had replaced the rule of law by the law of brute force. He felt all friendship and prosperity to new State of Pakistan but at the same time he was firmly of the view that the reunion was inevitable. And to some extent, even the creator of the Pakistan union, M.A. Jinnah, had the desire to return and he did call the first Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Sri Prakash, to convey his desire to Nehru. Unfortunately, Jinnah died too early on 11 September 1948, otherwise the history would have been different. Of course, one has to accept the history as it took place and there are no ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’.
Patel’s well-known communication dated 7 November 1950 addressed to PM Nehru did forewarn India of the secret intentions of China in dealing with Tibet and looming dangers for New Delhi in the days to come. When K. M. Munshi, a loyalist of Patel, does write in his book “Pilgrimage to Freedom” before presenting the strictly personal letter D.O. No.821-DPM/50 dated 7 November 1950 addressed to “My dear Jawaharlal” , “If Jawaharlal had his way, Nizam’s Hyderabad would have remained unintegrated and would have become a second Pakistan in the ‘belly’ of India, an intensely hostile State separating the North from the South- although after the success of the police action Jawaharlal Nehru was the first to go to Hyderabad to receive an ovation as the liberator of Hyderabad !” Munshi adds, “But for Jawaharlal Nehru’s rejection of Sardar’s advice on the Tibetan question, we would have a buffer State between India and China.”
“…I regret to say that…The Chinese Government has tried to delude us by professions of peaceful intentions. My own feeling is that at a crucial period they managed to instill into our Ambassador a false sense of confidence in their so-called desire to settle the Tibetan problem by peaceful means…even though we regard ourselves as the friends of China, the Chinese do not regard us as their friends. With the Communist mentality of ‘whoever is not with them being against them’, this is a significant pointer, of which we have to take due note…Chinese irredentism and Communist imperialism are different from the expansionism or imperialism of the Western Powers.” The Sardar had raised eleven questions regarding India’s foreign policy and sought an early meeting with the PM who was also the External Affairs Minister. Unfortunately, the meeting could never take place. Patel died on 15 December 1950. His words continue to guide even present-day rulers, if they take serious note of rather his last communication on Sino-India relations.
In 1950, Sardar Patel quotes the real message of Swami Dayanand and Mahatma Gandhi, both the great saints born in Gujarat: “Do not let cowardice cripple you. Do not run away from danger. The three-year-old freedom of the country has to be fully protected. India today is surrounded by all sorts of dangers and it is for the people today to remember the teachings of the two great saints and face fearlessly all dangers.” Patel declared: “In this Kalyug, we shall return Ahimsa for Ahimsa. But if anybody resorted to force us, we shall meet it with force.” He was a man in hurry as reports V. Shankar, his Secretary.
Next Column: Understanding Misconceptions of Indian History
(The writer is a Socio-political Historian. E-mail: [email protected] )
